Wednesday, January 16, 2013

The Walkmen: Tonight in Toronto

I love this picture.

Funny fact. The Walkmen are one of my very favourite bands - as well as the brains behind one of 2012's most incredible albums - and I've seen them twice. But, I've only ever seen them as the opening band; opening for bands who I easily like less than The Walkmen. Of course I also liked the other two headliners enough to snag tickets, but like I said - I love The Walkmen so much, that it was almost painful to only get an opening set out of them.

Which is why I am so excited that tonight, here in Toronto, these alt-rock Gods are taking the stage last - not first (Father John Misty has that handled) - to reign as the incredible, melodic, impassioned main event. Finally, the all-too-familiar scenario of me dashing through the bustling concert grounds towards the stage (while the rest of the patrons are milling about, not paying attention and getting in their beer purchasing or final bathroom break before the headlining act), desperate to catch every song of The Walkmen's opening set, is no more.

Do you like The Walkmen? I find, more often than not, everyone claims to have heard of them - when really, this band has been an integral part of indie and alternative-rock discussions since the millennium. Go out and buy their most recent album, Heaven, immediately; you'll agree that you've heard them before, and that they're most definitely nothing less than headline material.